Robert Stanley Weir
Robert Stanley Weir, FRSC, (November 15, 1856 – August 20, 1926) was a Montreal, Quebec judge and a Canadian poet most famous for writing the English lyrics to O Canada, the national anthem of Canada. Life Overview Educated as a teacher and lawyer, Weir was considered a leading expert of the day on Quebec's municipal civil law. He was appointed a municipal court judge and a judge for the Exchequer Court of Canada. Weir published several individual poems in magazines and collections in books. His English lyrics for O Canada eclipsed many others' lyrical attempts and songs to quickly become the most popular patriotic song in Canada for the past century. Early history Weir was born in Hamilton, Canada West (now Ontario, the son of Helen Craig (Smith) and William Park Weir and, who had emigrated from Scotland to Canada in 1852. As an infant Weir moved with his family to Montreal, Quebec, where his father became a Surveyor of Customs in the Port of Montreal. His brother, William Alexander Weir, was born there and would later become a Cabinet Minister in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec. Robert Weir studied at McGill Normal School in Montreal, and at the age of 19 was appointed principal of Sherbrooke Street School, 1 of the newest and largest Montreal public schools at the time. He continued his studies at McGill University, earning his Bachelor of Civil Law in 1880 and a Doctor of Civil Law in 1897. Family In 1882, he married Margaret (Gertie) Alexander Douglas, daughter of wealthy Montreal businessman Alexander Douglas. They had 6 children: 2 sons, Douglas (the eldest), and Albert (Ronald) Weir, (1901 - 1944); and 4 daughters, Beatrice, Winnifred, Marjorie and Dorothy Douglas Weir. Marjorie Douglas Weir would become known for her role in a movement to provide children's playgrounds in Montreal. The family divided their time between Montreal and a summer home named Cedarhurst, in Cedarville, a picturesque hamlet on the east shore of Lac Memphremagog in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Career c.1900 where Weir wrote O Canada]] From 1881 on, Weir practiced law in Montreal. He took a particular interest in municipal questions and had several of his studies published. In 1892, he ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal for the Montreal No. 4 riding of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec. In 1898, he was 1 of several eminent advocates appointed to revise the charter of the City of Montreal. It is believed that, in particular, he wrote many of the sections relating to expropriations and the power of the city to pass by-laws. On May 6, 1899, he was appointed Recorder for Montreal. During this time as a recorder, he also taught liturgics and jurisprudence in the Congregational College of Canada, which was affiliated with McGill University. O Canada In 1908, Weir wrote English lyrics for O Canada while at his summer home, Cedarhurst, in time to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City. The French version had originally been commissioned in 1880 by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, Theodore Robitaille with lyrics by Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier and music composed by Calixa Lavallee in time for the Congres national des Canadiens-Francais which was to be held on St. Jean Baptiste Day of that year. The popularity of the song grew quickly in Quebec and was played frequently at special events in the province. The earliest evidence of O Canada being sung in English Canada was when school children sang it for the 1901 tour of Canada by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (later King George V and Queen Mary]). Various translations of the French lyrics were attempted over the next few years but none were well-received until Weir's version. It gained acceptance quickly enough that it became the most popular patriotic song for Canadians by approximately the middle of the twentieth century, winning out over The Maple Leaf Forever and other less well-known alternatives. Weir amended the lyrics slightly in 1913, 1914 and 1916. Weir's final version would eventually become the unofficial Canadian anthem sung in English Canada at sporting events and by Canadian school children until 1980. "O Canada" (lyrics by Weir) "O Canada" version by Robert Stanley Weir for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation in 1927. (verse 1) O Canada! Our home and native land. True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! And stand on guard, O Canada, We stand on guard for thee. O Canada, Glorious and free. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee! Later years Weir later served as a municipal court judge, and was considered an expert on the historical aspects of municipal law. Finally, he was appointed a judge for the Exchequer Court of Canada. Weir died on August 20, 1926 at Cedarhurst. Recognition In 1923, Weir was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Weir's version of O Canada was published in an official form for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation in 1927, and gradually became the most generally accepted anthem in English-speaking Canada, completely winning out over the alternatives by the 1960s. In seeking to enact O Canada as the national anthem officially, a Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons was struck. In 1968, the committee recommended changes to the English version - replacing one of the repeated phrases "We stand on guard for thee" with "From far and wide" and one "O Canada" with "God keep our land". The committee also thought it appropriate for the government to acquire copyright to the words and music. Canadian copyright laws held for 50 years beyond the author's death so there was no trouble with the copyright for the music but the heirs of Weir objected to the changes to the words. Since Weir died in 1926, it would not be in the public domain until 1976. Evidence was found that the copyright had actually descended to Gordon V. Thompson, a music publisher, who agreed to sell it to the government in 1970 for the nominal sum of $1. The committee, however, still hoped to settle the matter amicably with Weir's family, if at all possible. Finally, on July 1, 1980, 100 years after Routhier and Lavallee penned the hymn, the National Anthem Act officially proclaimed the French and modified English versions as the National Anthem of Canada. Today, God Save the Queen is Canada's royal anthem, while The Maple Leaf Forever is rarely heard. 2 provinces have adopted Latin translations of phrases from the English lyrics as their mottos: Manitoba —''Gloriosus et liber'' (glorious and free)— and Alberta —''Fortis et liber'' (strong and free). Similarly, the motto of Canadian Forces Land Force Command is Vigilamus pro te (we stand on guard for thee). As well, the motto for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics was "with glowing hearts".http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=9e0947dc-b6e9-45e8-9065-251510d172f3 A postage stamp was issued in honour of Weir, Lavallee, and Routhier on June 6, 1980 and on May 24, 1999, a monument for Judge Weir was erected in Weir Memorial Park, on the shores of Lac Memphremagog, near where he wrote the famous lyrics. In recent years, the English version of the anthem has been criticized, by feminists such as Senator Vivienne Poy, for being sexist ("true patriot love in all thy sons command"); alternate lyrics ("in all of us command", "in all our hearts command" or "thou dost in us command") have been proposed but are not widely supported. Weir's grandson, Steve Simpson, says the word "son" is not about gender, but a reference to a patriotic command from a maternal goddess.Harper gov't says Canadian anthem lyrics won't change. Publications Poetry *''After Ypres, and other verses''. Toronto: Musson, 1917. *''Poems: Early and late''. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1922. Songs *''O Canada'' (musical score). Delmar Music Co., 1908. Prose *''Review of D.J. Macdonnell's sermon entitled Death Abolished: Preached in St. Andrew's church, Toronto, Sunday, 3 March 1889'', 1889. *''An Insolvency Manual: Containing the articles of the Code of civil procedure relating to abandonment of property, etc. Montreal: A. Periard, 1890. *The administration of the old regime in Canada. Montreal?: 1897. *''Municipal Institutions in the Province of Quebec. Toronto: 1904. * Gone West. 1918? Juvenile *''O Canada: Our national anthem''. Markham, ON: Scholastic, 2003. Edited *''The Bills of Exchange Act, 1890. Montreal: A. Periard, 1891. *The Civil Code of Lower Canada / The Bills of Exchange Act, 1890. Montreal: C. Theoret, 1898. *The Education Act of the Province of Quebec. Montreal: C. Theoret, 1899. *The Code of Civil Procedure of the Province of Quebec. Montreal: C. Theoret, 1900. *The Municipal Code of the Province of Quebec. Montreal: Theoret, 1903. ''Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Robert Stanley Weir, Worldcat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, June 10, 2019. See also *List of Canadian poets *Timeline of Canadian poetry References *Patty Brown. Montreal English Schools, 1816-1998. Retrieved June 20, 2005. *Ministry of Canadian Heritage (2004). Ministry of Canadian Heritage. Retrieved June 20, 2005. *Gilles Potvin & Helmut Kallmann. O Canada, Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 20, 2005 *Comments of David Price published in Parliament of Canada (1999).Hansard. Retrieved June 20, 2005. *Matthew Farfan (2002). [http://www.townshipsheritage.com/Eng/Articles/General/canada.html O Canada: Our Native Townships Song]. Retrieved June 20, 2005. *National Assembly of Quebec (2003). Quebec Electoral results: Montreal No. 4, 1892 in French. Retrieved June 20, 2005. *J. Cleophas Lamothe, Avocat & La Violette et Masse, Editors (1903). Histoire de la Corporation de la CitÃ© de MontrÃ©al. Montreal: Montreal Printing and Publishing. Retrieved June 20, 2005 from Notable Montrealers: Robert Stanley Weir. *Henry James Morgan, Editor (1912). Canadian Men & Women of the Time 1912. Toronto: William Briggs. Retrieved June 20, 2005 from Notable Montrealers: Robert Stanley Weir. *Eugenia Powers (1993). "O Canada: shan't be chant - original French-Canadian national anthem". Performing Arts & Entertainment in Canada, 28 (2). *Speech of Vivienne Poy (2001). Debates of the Senate (Hansard), 1st Session, 37th Parliament, Vol. 139. Retrieved June 20, 2005 from Inquiry on the National Anthem. Notes External links ;Poems *Weir, Robert Stanley (1856-1926) (2 poems) at Representative Poetry Online ;Songs * Lavallee, Calixa; Weir, R. Stanley; and Grant-Schaefer, G. A. (1914). O Canada!. Montreal: Delmar Music Co. (archived at Library of Congress) ;Books *Robert Stanley Weir at Amazom.com ;About *Robert Stanley Weir, 1856-1926 *O Canada in the Canadian Encyclopedia *O Canada in the Encyclopædia Britannica *Lost Golf Writings of Robert Stanley Weir at Golf Canada *Ministry of Canadian Heritage National Anthem Category:1856 births Category:1926 deaths Category:Canadian poets Category:Canadian Unitarians Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Category:People from Hamilton, Ontario Category:People from Montreal Category:Canadian people of Scottish descent Category:National anthem writers Category:Judges in Quebec Category:Writers from Quebec Category:Anglophone Quebec people